Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Here are the first batch of images from the latest collaboration between No Debutante and Mark Sewell Photography. We shot these images in a cold studio on a very snowy day in Bristol, I nearly didn't make it to the shoot due to the roads being blocked (we cave at the site of snow here in the UK, we practically can't walk) luckily my lovely husband Phil managed to drive me there - I really wasn't going to drag a heavy case full of outfits and accessories around the cold, snowy streets of Bristol!

These images are from the first half of the shoot, we took loads of photos but these are my favourite - For the styling think 1940s land girls and 1950s casual wear.

In last images I am wearing a Specials two-tone t-shirt kindly given to me by Mark's friend Joe. Thank you!

All styling by No Debutante.

Clothing from Vivienne of Holloway, Freddies Of Pinewood and Dr Martens.

A massive big thanks to Mark Sewell for his interest in the No Debutante blog and for collaborating with me! Also a Thank you to the lovely Lauren at London Camera Exchange in Bristol for her help with the shoot.

Watch this space for the second instalment from the latest collaboration between No Debutante and Mark Sewell. Very exciting!!!! ND xx

Friday, 25 January 2013

Whilst I choose the images from the second No Debutante and Mark Sewell Photoshoot collaboration (and slowly get over yet another bad cold....) I would like to share some images that I have been swooning over from my Pinterest Hair board. http://pinterest.com/nodebutante/hair/

As you may know, this time last year I had an undercut and have spent the last year growing out the undercut in a hope that I may very soon have long hair....So far, this is not the case....

My hair grows, very slowly, and at the moment I appear to be sporting two haircuts in one, the top layer is just below my ears and the bottom layer is nearly on my shoulders.....It's practically a mullet....this is why I always wear my hair up. Unfortunately what I am actually aiming for is lovely long hair to put up into victory rolls, linking in nicely with my current obsession with the 1950s.

I am now tired of waiting and, as always, have been considering short hair again, I don't seem to have the patience for all this growing your hair out - in between styles malarkey. Here are some of my favourite images to help me persevere a bit longer!

Rockabilly, vintage, 1940s/ 1950s style - Call it what you will - I need it!

My main problem is that my hair is fine and I have a small head, so I cannot keep a headscarf on without backcombing my hair to double its size. I would wear a head scarf all the time in this growing out -in between stage -but it isn't to be and also mass backcombing is an old obsession of mine, it's over! I need long hair NOW....before I cut my hair into a short fringed platinum Karen O inspired bob cut - that has recently caught my eye! ND xxImages sourced from

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Since my last post, we've had a bit of snow here in Bristol and my kids finally got to use those sledges that we got them for Christmas, two years ago! I got an unexpected day off work, thanks to the snow and nearly didn't make it to the planned studio photo shoot collaboration with my photographer friend Mark Sewell. Thankfully the roads were cleared yesterday so watch this space for the next instalment of the collaboration.

Here are the second lot of images showing what I've been wearing since Christmas taken with my usual little Sony digital camera.

Look at my lovely Antoni and Alison purse that my husband bought me for Christmas. I always love the Antoni and Alison vacuum packaging, so I had to show it to you! This purse is so useful, it's longer than a usual purse and I can fit my phone and ipod in too!! I love the childish punk prints and Antoni and Alison were my new favourite shop back in the 1990s....Oh, Antoni and Alison, it's been a long time but I still love you!! Check out the website here http://www.antoniandalison.co.uk

My latest pair of 1940/50s style jeans from my new favourite shop Freddies of Pinewood (also a present from Phil) worn with my oxblood Dr Martens which I was lucky enough to blag from the recent shop launch, attended by myself, Rudi and Mark Sewell back in October 2012. I seriously have a Dr Martins problem at the moment, they had a half price sale on the other day and I didn't leave the shop empty handed. Whoops! Watch this space for my latest purchase!

More new shoes?? Yes, another present from my husband (yes, I was totally spoilt this year) These leopard print Topshop high tops come with a removable wedge heel that you put into the shoe. I haven't actually worn them without the wedge yet, they look great on and I thought I'd pair them with a bit more leopard print...You can never wear too much, I say.

OK, here's a brief explanation about those monstrous sized decorations behind me in these photos. Phil and I put them up after having one too many mulled wines on Christmas Eve as a surprise for the boys on Christmas morning - A kind of Santa's grotto, if you will - we did mean to take them down but they managed to stay up for two weeks! Was the reason for this that we didn't have time to take them down? Was it sheer laziness or did we secretly (blatantly...ahem!) Quite like them? Enough said..

Leopard print bodycon, red ankle socks and brothel creepers! Oh, and Phil's new skate deck.......See I did treat him this Christmas too!!

Pink!!

Check out my new Tatty Devine pink lightning earrings!!

Quick secret....This jumper has been in the bag it came in since last Christmas....That's bad, isn't it? Don't judge me, I'm wearing it now....

More land girl style in my new jeans!

I'm really loving the bigger jeans and Dr Martens boots look for this Winter, it's so masculine but also 1950s cute worn with stripey tops and big knits.

My next post will be the studio photo shoot collaboration with No Debutante and Mark Sewell. Very exciting!! Watch this space!! ND xx

Monday, 14 January 2013

I have been busy this week with painting vintage wardrobes and planning my club night Bang's 10th Birthday Bash - one extreme of my life to the other. I can't say I am ever bored or have nothing to do! I like to give myself a project or ten and still manage to have no time for any of them. This evening I am planning another collaboration with the photographer Mark Sewell, which is very exciting. Watch this space for evidence of all the above!!

I have a new obsession, well it's been an obsession for a while but I couldn't get my hands on what I wanted for ages and then, like buses, two pairs of dungarees come along at once!! Yes, dungarees are the new obsession or overalls as they say in America.

So, I have been looking for the correct pair for, at least, a year and then I find a pair beckoning me in Topshop, the fit and shape of these Topshop dungarees are perfect, my only beef with them is the stupid worn effects on the knees that managed to rip on first wear. I hadn't even noticed this when I first got them - this is the price you pay when you go clothes shopping with a baby! I thought Topshop would know by now that the whole customising jeans thing is so ten years ago, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I would prefer my jeans to be worn away naturally. I won't go on.

Obviously, I am still wearing the Toppers dungarees but I am slightly bitter about the whole subject!

The second pair of dungarees were bought for me by my lovely husband Phil as a Christmas present from my new favourite vintage shop Freddies of Pinewood. It was a surprise to receive the retro 1950s style dungarees, a very welcome surprise!! The fit and shape of the 1950s dungarees is fantastic, the legs are very long and wide, leaving plenty of room for the obligatory, turned up hems, I love them!!! This is how I wear dungarees.

The Topshop Dungarees

The 1950s Dungarees from Freddies of Pinewood

My new Tatty Devine necklace a present from my sons Lucian and Mika for Christmas!

As you can see, I have been wearing my new dungarees alot lately. Which ones do you prefer? And how do you wear yours?

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

I have always been a bit of a tomboy who also happens to dress real girlie sometimes....what's wrong with that? As an opposite to my androgynous boy side I also have a child like, dressing up. girlie side.

I have always loved the 1960s Dolly look which made the model Twiggy a fashion icon. I love the basic, childlike outfits of the era and those eyelashes! I once heard Twiggy say on TV that she would put on a few sets of eyelashes and then about 8 layers of mascara to get the look! I am always a fan of dolly style make-up, I love the dolly rouge on the cheeks, worn with those eyelashes and the side parted mod like hair style.

I started using child like hairstyles on my hair as a teenager during the early 1990s circa Bjork Debut era, I loved Bjork's style and the way she styled her hair and coveted it.

Around the same time there was a new underground culture emerging in Harajuku in Japan, this was documented in Fruits Magazine by photographer Shoich Aoki who photographed street fashion portraits within the suburbs of Tokyo.

Many of the portraits featured cute and childlike styles.

Fruits achieved cult status in Japan during the 1990s and more recently mainly thanks to social networking, worldwide cult status.

I personally didn't find Fruits until about 1999 when I found the newly published Fruits Book on the shelf in Selfridges and had to buy instantly! I had seen some fashion images of Harajuku kids in magazines but not on this scale!! Since then, I have been obsessed with Fruits Magazine and Japanese Street style culture, so much so that for our honeymoon Phil and I went to Tokyo and got to hang out in Harajuku on a Sunday, despite the scene not being quite as big as it was during the 1990s, I still loved it and got to be a Harajuku girl for a day!

Cute styles from Annikavictoria and Wonderlandharu who I follow on fashionfinder.asos.com

Child like make-up and accessories

Baby doll dresses

White ankle socks and DMS!

Cute hair styles in bright colours and geek chic

Since there will always be children, this child like dolly style will remain and although it will adapt to become more contemporary with each scene and trend, the inspiration behind it will remain timeless and I certainly hope to continue to be influenced by it and hope to become the eccentric old 'fashion obsessed' lady that I aspire to be! ND xx

Friday, 4 January 2013

I personally did not get to have a very sociable New Year (missing my brothers 1950s NYE Party) due to a random illness, nothing new from me there, if there's an illness to be catching this winter, I seem to catch it! Instead I sat up with my kids and Phil and watched the film - School of Rock, which the boys loved and became inspired, starting an impromptu band rehearsal in the garage (where we so happen to have a set of drums) the next day. It was very cute.

I sadly, do not have any images of the garage band but I do have some images from Hoochie Coochie Halloween that I hadn't shown you yet. I still have another lot of Bang and Hoochie photos to show you, but that will come, in between fashion posts, over the next few weeks! Our chosen outfits for the Halloween spectacular were Kiss Zombies.

The event took place in Bristol Museum, if it's good enough for Banksy.......It was a fantastic venue, despite a lack of bar service which unfortunately ruined the night for some, I personally, felt honoured to DJ at such an event with my brother and fellow Bang DJ Mike, and our lovely Bang roadies /ornaments Steve and Naomi. Phil could not attend the event due to a lack of babysitters...boo hoo! There are only a few images to show you and I thought it would be a
shame not to post about them, even if they are a little late in coming.

That's where we DJ'd, up there, above the stage on the balcony!! It was soooo surreal! Put it this way, on the opposite platform to us was the best-preserved dinosaur ever found in Britain - the Scelidosaurus....As I said, very surreal!!

Here's to the first of many, many posts in 2013 -One of my new years resolutions is to blog more......We'll see how that goes.......Ahem!...ND xx

I'm a Fashion Obsessive, I started my blog after friends suggested I should document my outfits. No Debutante was born in 2011 as was my third child so the blog started as a pregnancy fashion blog. Since then I have flown the flag for street style and the more outrageous fashion designers. I embraced Bristol fashion, where I have met so many amazing creatives and landed myself the job of fashion editor at Bristol 24/7 it's been a hard slog but so worth it!

I have three kids, I am married to Phil who has equally as many hobbies as I do! I’m a DJ at my own club night Bang, I am vocalist with the band Mono Dots, I also work at the very cool, Desklodge Bristol, I am a street style devotee, vinyl loving, ex fashion designer (if only I had the time!). In my world clashing colours and prints are always welcome. Check out my blog http://no-debutante.blogspot.co.uk/ …….Hello…I am Emma